Security systems are used to help protect people and property within a secured area. Often a number of sensors may be placed around and/or within the secured area to detect security events. Security events may be defined as the presence of one or more unwanted people within the secured area or of some unwanted event such as a fire.
In most cases, the sensors are connected to an alarm panel that is used to monitor the sensors. Upon detecting the activation of a sensor, the alarm panel may activate a local alarm and/or send an alarm message to a central monitoring station.
The sensors may be limit switches designed to detect the opening of a door or window or the sensors may be designed to detect motion. In many cases, the detection of motion is accomplished through the use of a video camera and associated processor that compares successive frames to detect the movement of people within the secured area.
Many security systems maintain a log of activity within the system. Activity in this case may mean a time of activation of the various sensors and the recording of video from cameras within the area.
In the event of an event, the log may be reviewed to determine a sequence of events within the secured area. However, the log may be tedious and hard to read or understand. Accordingly, a need exists for better methods of displaying logged events within secured areas.